Oakland University professors given hockey pucks to fight potential future gunmen in classrooms

Group working to distribute 1,700 hockey pucks to students

Faculty at Oakland University are being trained by university police to fight armed gunmen in their classrooms with hockey pucks.

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. – Faculty at Oakland University are being trained by university police to fight gunmen in their classrooms.

The training sessions have been organized by OU's faculty union, the American Association of University Professors.

Conducted by OU Police Chief Mark Gordon, the training is part of the union’s efforts to improve classroom safety for students and faculty.

“We believe that once faculty have been trained in what to do in an active shooter situation, they will be able to share that information with students to provide a more secure learning environment,”says AAUP President Tom Discenna.

In addition to training, the union has also distributed hockey pucks to its members and to students.

According to Gordon, to fight effectively, faculty and students need to be prepared to throw objects that are heavy and will cause a distraction.

Hockey pucks provide the ability to be carried in brief cases or backpacks, are not considered a weapon, and will meet the goal of distracting the shooter, according to Gordon.

Currently, the union has distributed the pucks to its 800 members and is working with student groups to distribute an additional 1,700 pucks to students.

The hockey pucks are also being used as a fundraising device as the union seeks to raise the necessary money to equip all campus classroom doors with a lock that can be used without leaving the room in the event of an emergency.

The union presented a gift of $5,000 for the purchase of interior door locks for university classrooms.